this morning on "early today," fish tailing. toyota's troubles pile up as the government begins a probe on prius's brake problems. road rage. an alabama man slams his vehicle into a gas station on purpose. and all choked up. a die-hard saints fan actually takes her team spirit to a whole new level. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with damage control. a third major recall is reportedly in store for the

world's number one automaker as safety concerns for toyota's vehicles spread from the gas pedals in eight models to the braking system in its popular prius. though the company is not ready to officially say it's pulling back the prized hybrid, that decision may not be far down the road. tracie potts reports. >> reporter: japan's nikkei news service reports that the world's number-one selling hybrid is being recalled. toyota usa says no decision has been made. 270,000 prius models made before this year may have brake problems, something toyota knew about and fix indeed recent models this. this can't be good for toyota's image. >> i know they're working as hard as they can to fix this, but the press is not good. >> reporter: bill o'brien is not worried. he may buy one. >> it's a good car. i don't know. i drove it around. and i'm going to consider it. >> reporter: more than 180 prius drivers have complained the brakes don't respond momentarily

when the hybrid is switching between its gas and electric system. >> we road tested the cars and the car is actually doing what it's supposed to do. >> reporter: both are investigating. >> what's bad for toyota is bad for anybody driving a toyota. and safety and security are primary concerns. >> reporter: it's a one-two punch it. >> snaps in place. that's about it. >> reporter: it has several things to fix. its cars, its reputation. >> manufacturing issues, dealer issues, regulatory congress. >> reporter: and its finances. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. officials in haiti are charging ten american baptist witness stand kidnapping for trying to take 33 undocumented children outside the earthquake ravaged country. the suspected were arrested last week at the border with the dominican republic. the group's leader say they were

trying to move the children to an orphanage. many of the kids involved in the incident turned out not to be orphans. they had parents who willingly turned them over. the lawyer did not say if any money had changed hands. dr. conrad murray plans to surrender to authorities in los angeles today amid widespread speculation that he may face involuntary manslaughter charges for michael jackson. a spokesperson said murray will turn himself in later this afternoon even if the district attorney hasn't pressed charges. according to a spokesperson the doctor has been prepared to surrender since tuesday. if the charges don't come come, he will head back to houston where he has a practice. the united states senate has its newest member as scott brown

officially took his seat. the republican was sworn in by joe biden weeks after he stunned the political world with his come from behind victory. he gives 41 votes cracking the 60 seat super majority. nevertheless, he used his fist news conference as senator to attack president owe about ma's stimulus plan. >> now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. an alabama man is facing charges of attempted murder after police say he deliberately rammed his truck into a service station. authorities say the 49-year-old was angry over the pay before you pump policy and told clerks they were going to, quote, going to die. after the crash, the driver tried to run off but nearby officers were able to subdue him with a stun gun. florida officials are investigating the state's first deadly shark attack in five

years. dozens of sharks were clearly visible off palm peach, 40 miles south of where a kite surfer was killed. investigators are trying to determine what type of shark was involved in the fatal attack. a pilot and a passenger in florida are safe following tense moments aboard their small plane when the cessna's landing gear refused to lock, they were forced to make a landing on the rear wheels. the plane collapsed onto its nose. fortunately, no one was hurt. also in florida, the great grandson of circus legend carl wa linda is carrying on the tradition. yesterday nick wa linda pulled off a break taking stunt walking across a high wire 200 feet above the ground. at one point he knelt and laid down on the wire, drawing gasps from the crowd. that wire was no wide or than a nickel.

now for a loot a your national and regional weather here's meteorologist chris warren with the weather forecast. you have a busy morning filling in for bill. >> we certainly do. you can see it right here. the same system that's bringing some very heavy rain to the south is moving out, bringing a wintry mess and even some heavy snow eventually and possibly some blizzard conditions. this extends from the plains, ohio valley, and the mid atlantic. look at all the watches, advisory we have posted. this is going to be a big one. take a look at the mid atlantic. washington, d.c., we could be looking at a foot, maybe even more and possibly some blizzard conditions for parts of new jersey and into delaware. take a look at some of the totals we could see when it's all said and done. some areas could see two feet of snow. we are looking at a big one here as this moves through. the forecast for the rest of the day does call for a wet mess in

the south. mid atlantic, we will see more snow. we'll see that snow pick up later on into the evening and the overnight hours. so this storm will continue on into saturday. that's your regional forecast. now here's what's happening closer to home. and you can sigh we are goiee w see a bit of a mess in philadelphia. tampa, temperatures in the lower 70s. chicago, right around the freezing mark with a little bit of snow. looking nice in phoenix, 70 degrees. so we're going to be watching for a wintry mess for sure, lynn. >> yeah. we've all heard about it. let's see if this weekend will be a hibernation weekend. i have a feeling it will be. stocks tumble over worries of debt and unemployment. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, is this the film that will finally release "avatar's" stranglehold on the box office? major trade in hockey, the cavaliers put up a ten spot, and the clippers head coach jumps

ship. you're watching "early today."

>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. and here are some of your top headlines this morning. north korea says it's going to free a u.s. missionary detained since christmas for illegally crossing into the communist state. robert parks slipped into the country carrying letters from north korean leader kim jong-il, demanding he step down. park will be released after his, quote, admission and repentance of his wrong dogs. act stress brittany murly died from pneumonia. according to the coroner, if murphy had seen a doctor sooner, she probably would be alive today. and it appears pluto is undergoing a makeover. mass sa says pluto has rapidly become significantly redder in

recent decades. exactly why is a mystery to scientists. but it proves to them pluto is not simply a ball of ice and rock. and one new orleans saints fan will probably be watching what she it's at this week's super bowl party. she was taking her vitamins when she swallowed an earring shaped like a saints's logo. she's going to be just fine. we hope we didn't destroy your breakfast. >> and now here's a look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,002 after dropping a whopping 268 points. the s&p up 34. taking a look at overtrace trading this morning, the nikkei fell 298 points, while in hong kong the hang seng sank 676 points. investors already worried

about rising dent in greece were in a panic yesterday over fresh fears that several more european countries could also be in way over their heads. countries like portugal and spain have been borrowing more cash than they collect at sky-high rates. the rising dollar sparked a selloff of commodities. crude oil down nearly $4 a barrel. gold tumbling more than 4%. aluminum maker alcoa lost 4%. weekly jobs claims rose by 8,000 instead of the drop some had hoped for. predibzs for today's big jobs report, economists hope to see jobs added in january but realistically the unemployment rate could tick higher. bank of america was the biggest drag on the dow, down 5% after new york's attorney general charged former chief ken

lewis and joe price with fraud for allegedly misleading shareholders about the bank's merger with merrill lynch. meanwhile, the dow's only advancer, sisco. despite impressive fourth quarter earnings, sisco only managed to eek out a gain of less than half a percent. mastercard, however, didn't fair as well. while the credit card company posted a 23% jump in profit, shares plunged 10% due to cutbacks in credit card spending. both the "new york times" and the wall street journal are reporting the industrial gas company air products is making an unsolicited offer of $5 billion in cash for its smaller rival air gas. and finally, heinz is catching up with the times, tearing up the tiny tin foil packets and updated design. it has a cup like base perfect for dipping and squeezing and holds three times as much ketchup. nifty there.

>> lebron james is at it again, and a coach axes himself. plus, here's yet another reason why they call him the great eight. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. and we have a big winter storm to start off the weekend. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, with yet another promising season slipping away, the struggling los angeles clippers take drastic measures. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. it's no secret in sports that if you don't win you get replaced. and the l.a. clippers haven't won in a long time. mike dunlevy. he steps down to focus more on the team personnel. assistant hughes will take over on an interim business. cavs and heat, first quarter action. off the turnover. two-handed jam. not every day you see wade getting dunked on like that. to the second. green served it up to lebron james for the alley-oop. cavs up 56-52 at the half.

lebron wasn't done. he had 36. cleveland won its ten the in a row, 102-86. new jersey devils have won the sweepstakes. he turned down a $101 million extension to stay in atlanta. from one russian olympian to another, alex ovechkin to take on the rangers. third period. watch alex go. slipped the puck between the defense man's legs to beat the goal goalie. reigning mvp had two goals. caps beat the rangers, 6-5. these orangutans trashed a saints helmet which means somehow they picked the saints. lions used boxes with their choice. they went to the saints and destroyed the box. don't know if that means saints will destroy the colts on the

scoreboard but the animals have spoken so the saints will win this weekend. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great week jend i'm fred roggin. >> we'll have to see monday if they're right. the film won't do too well and we'll tell you why. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, unfortunately when it comes to haiti's earthquake victims, it's not the thought that counts. grade schoolers who came through with aid and support. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." we have a bit of a monster of a storm here. you can see a lot of rain moving into the south. this is going to mean a lot of snow. could see feet of snow through some spots in the mid atlantic. we're going to see snow in kansas city, chicago, to minneapolis. washington, d.c. could see a foot. maybe even more. and then in the west, things will stay on the dry side. as we head into the weekend still snow in the middle part of the country. if you're watching orlando, florida, have a blast at science in toyland. an interactive exhibit where learning starts with playing with toys at the orlando science center. and that's your "early today" event of the day. lynn? >> sounds like fun. chris, thank you. well, now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. critics are split as to whether this might be the weekend the

mighty "avatar" falls. one says this is the last weekend of glory for the box office champion. next weekend declining numbers is sure to topple the sci-fi epic. while it is looking at roughly $25 million this weekend, some are convinced a strong performance by one of this weekend's opening films will surpass that mark. most critics did not like the romantic drama "dear john" but they respect girl power with tatum as the draw on super bowl weekend, the female audience, particularly preteens could make this film memorable as the film that knocked off "avatar." to paris with love won't be hurt by its r rating because travolta attracts an older audience anyway but why open it on super bowl weekend. that might keep it below $10 million. it will be interesting to see

whether the weather will keep people at home. >> some people like to go to the movies but this could be bad enough that you may want to stay home some some places could see two feet so, yeah, i'm staying in. this comes to us from nbc 30 where in nearby new britain a group of school kids are proving you don't have to be big to make a big difference. when they heard of the devastation in haiti, third graders decided to help out sat&started collecting things to donate that are very valuable to them, snacks and juice boxes. now they have filled boxes full of tasty treats. they have learned the importance of giving to those in need. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal tv 11 news today at 5 in hd. >> good morning, everyone. i'm tony tam. this is the calm before the storm. things will pick up once we get to the late morning or afternoon. the early-morning commuters should be fine. no problems on the way to work. if temperatures are in the low 30's. 28 in parkton. today's forecast, of snow and sleet developing by late morning and into the afternoon. up to 3 inches on the ground by this evening. the evening commute might be slippery. high temperature of around 35. in a few minutes we'll look at the seven-day forecast. back to you. >> let's look ahead to 11 news

today. >> what is supposed to be a low- key ceremony begins for the new mayor of baltimore. she is showing she is ready to take charge. >> so far, things are quiet on the major roadways. no delays or incidents. we will get you up-to-date

>> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal tv 11 news today at 5 in hd. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. >> i am stan stovall. thanks for joining us forth 11 news today. >> tony pann is an important man today. >> why not everyday? >> i stopped at the blears restore last night. >> a big mistake. >> everybody else had the same idea. it was nuts. >> you have to wait until it >> you have to wait until it